Live Updates: Florida District 19 special general election

■ 3:30 p.m.: Ask Southwest Florida elections officials how turnout is in the special congressional District 19 election and the answer is the same – Slow.

"Actually it's pretty low," said Vicki Collins, a spokeswoman for the Lee County Elections Office. "We currently have 2 percent voter turnout at the polls. I think we had pretty good turnout for the absentee (ballots). But I couldn't tell you why they're not voting (today)."

In Lee County, voters requested 86,882 absentee, or vote by mail, ballots in advance of today's special congressional election. As of 6 p.m. Monday, 59,562 of those ballots had been returned.

Turnout at the polls in Collier County isn't shaping up to be much better. Melissa Blazier, Collier's chief deputy supervisor of elections, said about 3 percent of eligible voters cast ballots Tuesday.

"It's so slow," she said.

In Collier County, 15,735 of the more than 22,500 ballots requested have been returned.

Blazier said she's not sure why people aren't coming out to vote. One reason could be lack of excitement surrounding the election. While candidates blitzed the airwaves in advance of the special Republican primary, there's been little advertising leading up to the special election.

"The campaigning hasn't been as fierce," she said. "The message hasn't gotten out there."

Collins said no big issues have been reported at polling places in Lee Count; the same goes for Blazier who said there have been "no problems."

"It's quiet," said Blazier. "I think most people are saying I can't believe we're having an election today."

But by 1:30 p.m., the election clerk at the precinct said only 85 voters had trickled in since polls opened at 7 a.m.

"We've had rush minutes, not rush hours," said Jolene Dunbar, the clerk at the North Collier polling place, after describing the day's turn out as "light, light, light."

Dunbar said about 200 people cast ballots in the April 22 special Republican primary. Elections officials, she said, had expected 500 people could come through the doors for the special general. But with five hours left before polls close, Dunbar said it's unlikely they'll reach that number.

"It will be slow and steady," she said.

According to the Collier County elections website, 2,665 people cast ballots have cast ballots by 2 p.m.. That's slightly less than the number of people who cast ballots during the week long early voting period, which ended on Saturday. More than 15,700 Collier residents have returned absentee, or vote by mail, ballots.

— Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster

■ 1 p.m.: Scott Jaeger, a volunteer for Marco Island Libertarian Ray Netherwood's campaign, stood in the shade in the parking lot of St. John Episcopal Church. It was just after noon, and Jaeger was handing out voter information guides to voters.

But Jaeger, a self-described Republican, said there weren't many voters coming through the doors at precinct 462.

"It's been very, very slow," he said. "In the first hour, I only saw four people."

Still Jaeger said he was happy to be out doing outreach for Netherwood's campaign and said he's pretty sure he was able to change a few voters' minds while he was waiting.

About a half dozen voters stopped by the Naples church during the lunch hour. Jaeger handed out slips of paper – which had the names of the three candidates and where they stood on some issues – to many of those who passed by. Some said they already had their minds made up, while others just thanked Jaeger before walking in the precinct.

"Just being out here we changed a lot of votes," he said. "Ray's a great choice."

— Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster

■ 10:20 a.m.: Thirty-seven voters came by United Methodist Church by 10 a.m., a poll worker said.

His first voter was at 7:02 am, he said.

"I was overwhelmed by the crowd," one voter said sarcastically after leaving the church, declining to give his name.

A woman, who also declined to give her name, said it's a shame what happened with Radel.

"The events leading up to the special election were not good for the community," she said.

— Liz Freeman

■ 9:50 a.m.: Tom Schneider, a resident of the Moorings retirement community, said Tuesday that it's too bad the special election had to be called and the cost of it. He votes at Precinct 414 in the Moorings.

"You've got to get out and vote," Schneider, who has been active in civic issues in the community, said. "It's really a shame about (Radel)."

— Liz Freeman

■ 9:30 a.m.: Bridget Matakonis, 76, was one of about a dozen people who voted by 9 a.m. at St. Mary's Episcopal Church on Bonita Beach Road on Tuesday. She said voting was fast and easy. And because the church is just down the road from her home, it was convenient, too.

"It seems like in the beginning they were all gung-ho," she said of the Republican primary. "Today, I don't know if anyone remembered to come out because it wasn't advertised too much."

— Ryan Mills

■ 9:10 a.m.: Joan Newsome, longtime Naples' resident, said after voting Tuesday that disgraced former U.S. Rep. Trey Radel should have to pay for the cost of the special election.

"It's costing way too much money," she said.

She and her husband, who live in the Royal Harbor area, said they were told they were the ninth and 10th voters of the morning at Precinct 475.

— Liz Freeman

■ 8:50 a.m.: For Larry Fultz, who voted just before 8:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Bonita Springs, Republican Curt Clawson was "my horse from the beginning." Fultz figures to be betting on the heavy favorite.

For Jim and Corrine Gabriel, nothing about Democrat April Freeman stood out. But her party affiliation was enough to get the couple's two votes.

"I just hope that everybody voting for Republicans gets their head checked out, because they're just screwing this country up left and right," said Jim Gabriel, 76. "On the whole sheet, if it's a Democrat, I'm voting from them."

— Jacob Carpenter

■ 8:40 a.m.: In the first hour after the polls opened Tuesday, only three people cast ballots at the South County Regional Library off Three Oaks Parkway in south Lee. Diane Odeh, 27, of San Carlos Park, was No. 3.

The process to check in, get your ballot and actually vote takes time, so in a way the lack of a line was nice, she said.

"I expected it to be slow. I didn't expect it to be no one in there," Odeh said. "It is a special election, though. It's still important, though."

Odeh voted for Democrat April Freeman, but said she expects Republican Curt Clawson will win. That's part of the reason for the low turnout, she said.

"They assume that while the Republican is going to win anyway, there is no point in voting," she said.

Things were a little busier down the road at the Estero Community Center, where six people had voted in the first hour of the polls being open, said Ike Eikelberner, the precinct clerk. He also expects a light turnout.

"My personal opinion, yes. I think with the absentee ballots and early voting, that's been successful in this area," he said.

Richard and Lois Fein of Estero cast ballots just before 8 a.m.

"It was quiet; no one there," Lois Fein said. "I didn't expect a crowd, but I thought there would be more than just us in there."

Eikelberner said April's primary election was busier than the general, so far. The Feins said they didn't vote in the primary, even though the could have and try to vote in all elections.

"The primary campaign was so negative, you didn't feel very good about any of the candidates," Richard Fein said.

— Ryan Mills

■ 8:15 a.m.: At First Baptist Church of Bonita Springs, about 10 voters trickled through in the first hour. Among them were Audrey Vance, who lamented the time and cost of the special election, which will only put the victor in office through the end of the year.

"That's a waste of money, and that's our local tax money, so it's even more annoying," said Vance. She declined to divulge her candidate of choice but said ethics weighed heavy in the wake of the Trey Radel cocaine scandal.

— Jacob Carpenter

■ 7:40 a.m.: Tuesday's special congressional election started out with ... crickets.

At the Karl Drew Community Center in San Carlos Park, there were more poll workers than voters. Only four or five people cast ballots during the first half hour after the polls opened, which didn't shock the location's clerk, Diane Champion.

"There were so many that voted early, we really expected it to be a little slow today," she said. "Hopefully not."

The center's voting machine jammed after the first ballot was cast today, but it was quickly repaired.